Jerkass Nerd YKTTW Discussion

In many stories, especially High School-related ones, the nerds and geeks are the heroes. This makes sense, since these groups are often bullied and victimized by "popular" and "cool" people. The nerdy characters are the underdogs who fight against their oppressors.

In less sympathetic cases, these nerds will be unpopular because they're jerks and no one likes them. Their outcast status is portrayed as their fault. In these cases, the Jerkass Nerd's nerdiness may be played to make the audience dislike them. The nerd may be obnoxious or repulsive, or a Sickly Neurotic Geek. When the obnoxiousness is combined with the jerkassery, the audience thinks, "See, that's why no one likes them. I don't like them either." The nerd's nerdiness doesn't make them into The Woobie, it makes them into The Scrappy.

If nerds are heroes, then a Jerkass Nerd may serve as a good but jerky hero. Alternately, a Jerkass Nerd can serve as an enemy to the "good" nerds. This can create a war on two fronts: a war between the nerds and the "cool"/"popular" kids, and another war between the good nerds and the Jerkass Nerds. Even Nerds Have Standards may be invoked if even the nerdy heroes think the Jerkass Nerd's nerdiness is repulsive.

Sadly, individuals with autism or Asperger Syndrome are sometimes portrayed this way. People on the autism spectrum are known for their difficulties with social interaction and for having narrowly defined interests, which can make them seem "nerdy" or "geeky." And an autistic person's difficulty with expressing emotion or following social norms may be mistaken for rudeness or jerkassery. Sometimes autistic people, and especially people with Asperger Syndrome, are portrayed as not having a problem at all, but simply claiming they do so they can get away with being rude.

The ghost Sidney Poindexter from Danny Phantom has a Freudian Excuse, as he was constantly bullied during his lifetime. He haunts the school, punishing anyone he considers to be a bully. Unfortunately, when he sees Danny (the unpopular hero) playing pranks to get back at Dash (a Jerk Jock), he punishes Danny because he thinks Danny is the bully and Dash is the victim.

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Your reply:

Five hats means that five tropers think it is ready to publish.

You are saying that you think this draft is ready to be published. That means the description is not ambiguous,
it doesn't duplicate an existing trope, there are at least three examples, and the title makes sense.

Is that what you meant to do?

You are saying this draft has a ready-to-publish hat it does not deserve and you are taking it back.

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